Leverage what you already do, and next to wherever you keep bills etc, start a similar creative file, the idea being that if you're reliable enough at those, you'll have only-one-place-to-put-things creative-wise too?
I generally store essentially everything on computer. But now, even that's got fractured, as things are spread between the home directory on my main computer, a drop-box, a wiki, and several folders for "imported from USB stick", "imported from work computer" that partially overlap.
I'm gravitating towards some version of that: print stuff out and stick it in filing cabinet with the random postits and notebook pages.
But putting it all in one place results in the big pile o' junk problem. It's there, but where is it there?
Must work out some sensible way to separate things. Indexing by date is useful for finding specific stuff (because I can usually remember when I produced it), but useless for keeping things together in logical groupings.
Separate files for separate projects? Extra ones for Lists of Cool Things, Random Scraps of Writing, Research I Know Will Come In Useful One Day, Titles I Don't Know What To Do With, Small Pocket Universes etc etc ?
I try to use mind-mapping software to store random information (I use Mind Manager myself, but there are plenty of other options).
The software basically creates a spider diagram where you get jot things down. You can create hierarchies of information, link to other files, etc. Once I've got enough similar notes in my Misc section, I spawn off a new heading to collect them together.
I have one notebook which has stored everything from occasional diary entries to interesting quotes to poetry to to-do lists... I haven't even used the pages in order so when I want to find somewhere to write I need to leaf through for a while. I have two nano ideas which are written on a piece of paper and a post-it note, tucked inside my diary. What I mean to say is you are not alone and I'm going notebook-shopping today :)
I used to have that problem, but since getting a PDA I find I automatically put it all on that. Actually, I do also have a folder in the filing cabinet called "Creations" for the occasional things like that which either predate the PDA, were made when I didn't have access to it for some reason, or are in a format that works better on paper.
I keep thinking I want a PDA, but despite it being a very long time since I first had a PDA (I had a Windows CE 1.0 greyscale PDA!), they're all still quite expensive (i.e. >£100 for one that isn't completely crappy) :-/
I should have held on to the three (!) PDAs I had but gave away!
I am hoping to get a new one soon, and you can have mine if you want, although it may be "completely crappy" depending on your definition. It's a 4-year-old Windows Mobile one and the battery only holds half what it claims to.
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I generally store essentially everything on computer. But now, even that's got fractured, as things are spread between the home directory on my main computer, a drop-box, a wiki, and several folders for "imported from USB stick", "imported from work computer" that partially overlap.
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But putting it all in one place results in the big pile o' junk problem. It's there, but where is it there?
Must work out some sensible way to separate things. Indexing by date is useful for finding specific stuff (because I can usually remember when I produced it), but useless for keeping things together in logical groupings.
Separate files for separate projects? Extra ones for Lists of Cool Things, Random Scraps of Writing, Research I Know Will Come In Useful One Day, Titles I Don't Know What To Do With, Small Pocket Universes etc etc ?
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The software basically creates a spider diagram where you get jot things down. You can create hierarchies of information, link to other files, etc. Once I've got enough similar notes in my Misc section, I spawn off a new heading to collect them together.
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I have two nano ideas which are written on a piece of paper and a post-it note, tucked inside my diary.
What I mean to say is you are not alone and I'm going notebook-shopping today :)
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I love buying notebooks. Mmm, stationery shops :-)
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Actually, I do also have a folder in the filing cabinet called "Creations" for the occasional things like that which either predate the PDA, were made when I didn't have access to it for some reason, or are in a format that works better on paper.
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I should have held on to the three (!) PDAs I had but gave away!
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What model is it?
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Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
Wikipedia: Randy Pausch
He also wrote a small short book about this (that I have somewhere - or maybe someone has borrowed it).
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